Google to bring down iPhone 6 and Samsung Galaxy S5 with Nexus 6?

At the Google I/O in June, Google introduced the Android Wear and developer version of Android L. We can speculate how Google plans on countering Apple and Samsung flagships using Android Wear and Android L.
There is no official news about the Nexus 6 yet, whatever follows is an analysis based on what we saw from the Google I/O and recent trends.

Security and Fingerprint Scanner

Security-wise, a fingerprint scanner like the one in the iPhone 5s is very much in demand. Some rumors say Google has already placed its order for Fingerprint ID scanners very much like the one in the iPhone 5s from a Chinese manufacturer. It would be very nice for the Nexus 6 to receive that. It can be annoying to enter a passcode or draw a pattern to unlock everytime.
Using a fingerprint scanner to unlock the screen would safest, fastest and most convenient...

...right? 

Android L and Android Wear

There is a reason not to expect the Nexus 6 to come with a fingerprint scanner. It is the Android L Personal Unlocking. It is like a geofence, you can designate your home as a secure location and while you’re at home your phone will not ask you for a passcode, pattern or fingerprint to unlock because it knows you’re at home by GPS. You can also add more secure locations.


It will also be possible to not need to enter your passcode while your device is with you if you have an Android Wearable. While your phone is connected to your trusted Bluetooth device, it will not ask for a passcode. If you walk out of the Bluetooth range with your wearable whoever picks up your phone will need to enter a passcode.
Fingerprint scanning to unlock a device would be useless with Android Wear and Google will use this to try bring down iPhone and Samsung Galaxy S5. I will talk about Google's expected manoeuvre further in this article.

Android Wear Smartwatches prices

There are currently two smartwatches that were presented at the Google I/O this year and that are available for purchase in the Google Play Store in the US: the LG G Watch, priced at $229 and the Samsung Gear Live at $199. The third one that was presented but is not released yet is the Moto 360 for which we do not know the price yet.

LG G Watch (Left), Moto 360 (Middle), Samsung Gear Live (Right)

Android Wear at Google I/O

Attendees at the Google I/O this year got two of these smartwatches as gifts. They were able to choose one of the LG G Watch and the Samsung Gear Live, and will also receive the Moto 360 when it becomes available. Definitely something to be jealous about!

If we missed the event we can’t be blamed that we expect that there will be an Android Wear smartwatch included with the Nexus 6. Would be nice, especially since Android L security features Android Wear. However, it seems unlikely if one gives another look at the price tag of these smartwatches. It would be almost impossible to stay in the $400 range for the Nexus 6 if Google wants to add one of these jewels in the box. Most probably Google will consider either Android Wear or a Fingerprint scanner with your Nexus 6. I am keeping my fingers crossed for the Android Wear not simply because I love innovation, but also because Google was promoting the Android Wear at the Google I/O.

Let's now talk about why Google should promote Android Wear.

Android Wear as Google's strikeback at Samsung and Apple

If Google wants to boost sales of Android wearables it would not include a Fingerprint Scanner in the Nexus 6. Additionally, adding an Android Wear device to the Nexus 6 package would be an incentive for people who love innovation and at the same time, putting Google's biggest competitors, Samsung and Apple's Fingerprint ID system to waste. It is unlikely people would want to buy an Android Wearable if they had a smartphone with Fingerprint Scanner, or a smartphone with Fingerprint Scanner if they had the security of an Android Wearable. No one wants to pay for something they won't use.

Let me know what you think in the comments section.

The Nexus series will continue: release date of Nexus 6, Android L

The Nexus smartphones have each been one of the best smartphones every year since their launch in 2010. They have been sold at a very affordable price. We geeks love them because they reflect Google's view of an Android smartphone and they are always the first to receive direct updates from Google. They are called the smartphones that run "pure" Android. They has been lots of excitement lately surrounding the upcoming release of the next smartphone in the line: the Nexus 6. Google had not officially mentioned anything about the Nexus 6 and there were leaks talking about the upcoming Android Silver project to debut next year so rumors started circulating that Google would totally turn away from the Nexus program to concentrate on the Android Silver. But recently, David Burke, Head of Android engineering stated the following in an interview:

When we are working, there are sort of two outputs. We’re building a Nexus device and we’re building the open source code. There is no way you can build the open source code without the phone or tablet or whatever you are building. You have to live and breathe the code you are developing.

You can’t build a platform in the abstract, you have to build a device (or devices). So, I don’t think Nexus can or will ever go away. And then, I think Nexus is also interesting in that it is a way of us explaining how we think Android should run. It is a statement, almost a statement of purity in some respects. I don’t see why we would ever turn away from that, it wouldn’t make sense.

So Nexus will continue.

Each release of a new Android version was showcased by a new Nexus device. Now that we know Android L is coming we expect a Nexus 6 alongside it. Smartphone companies usually release new devices towards the beginning of the school year, around August-September. However, we are not so sure about a Q3 release because we would have an official announcement from Google by now. There was no mention about it at the Google I/O held in June, either. So we are looking at a Q4 release, most probably in October like its predecessor, the Nexus 5.

Nexus 6 Specs, Price and New Features Google will consider (from LG G3)

Each Nexus lover has a different specs checklist of which he expects Google to check most boxes. But we need to keep in mind why the Nexus is here and what made it our favorite smartphone. We are going to talk about it in this article, together will some important specs Google will want to include in the Nexus 6.

The Design

The first and maybe most important aspect of any phone is the design. The website nexus6me speculates the phone to come with an aluminium encasing. But that might, however, greatly increase its price. The Nexus series have been smartphones that reflect Google’s view of the Android experience with flagship specs but at half the price of a flagship and that’s one of, if not the, reason why we all love the Nexus. Nexus lovers wouldn’t be happy if the Nexus 6 exceeded the $400 range.

LG G3 design

There's much buzz that the Nexus 6 will resemble the LG G3, so it will have a bigger display than the Nexus 5, most probably in the 5-5.5” range. Two important aspects to consider while choosing the screen size and design of a phone are portability and single-handed usability, both of which cannot be achieved with too large screens. But at the same time, there have increasingly been demands for smartphones with larger screens. LG did well by making the G3 screen cover a large surface area of the phone. A large 5.5” display is made without making a large phone (thin bezel). If the rumors are true, the colours the Nexus 6 will offer will also be similar to the G3. Maybe it won't carry the exact premium encasing of the iPhone 5s or the head-turning bright colours of the 5c, but it can still boast quite a look. Check out the colours available for the G3. The LG G3 encasing is plastic but it has a more metallic finish which keeps it classy and at the same time not very expensive to make. It is available in 5 colours: Metallic black, Shine Gold, Silk White, Moon Violet and Burgundy Red.

The Display

I think the 2k display is not a very good idea for the Nexus 6 because right now, games and Youtube videos still play at 1080p. Sure, texts will be sharper, but will it look sharper? Even if movies or pictures are shot at 2K and displayed on a 2K smartphone, I doubt the human eye will be able to see any difference. Definitely not on a phone. 
Getting more pixels on a display or getting a larger display really drains a phone's battery and is harsh on the graphics. Instead of putting in more pixels, it might be wiser to invest in a better 1080p display to make it look less "washed-out" than in the Nexus 5, as some reviews of the Nexus 5 complained about. Colours could be made to stand out more, with better viewing angles, especially outdoors. Why having more pixels does not necessarily mean better picture is further described below.

The Camera

There's much buzz going around that the Nexus 6 will sport a 13MP camera.
But the camera doesn’t have to be 13MP. It just needs to be of high quality. An 8MP camera itself contains more pixels than a 2K QHD TV can display.

8MP camera resolution: 3,264 x 2,448 (=7,990,272) pixels.
Full HD (1080p) display: 1,920 x 1,080 (=2,073,600) pixels.
iPad Retina display: 2,048 x 1,536 (=3,145,728) pixels.
2K TV: 2,560 x 1,440 (=3,686,400) pixels.
4K TV: 3,840 x 2,160 (=8,294,400) pixels.

So even if your camera snaps pictures at 13MP instead of 8MP it wouldn't make any difference if you are viewing on a 2K TV, even less on your smartphone. 4K TVs are really expensive, and I wouldn't buy one because there isn't any movie or TV show running at 4K. Blu ray movies are at 1080p max (1,920 x 1,080).
I would get a 2K display as a TV but 1080p for my smartphone. 8MP pictures are more than enough for both. The iPhone 5s camera is just 8MP but it is a very high quality camera- pictures taken rival with those taken with the 41MP camera of the Nokia Lumia 1020. When talking about camera quality we should consider how well it performs under low-light conditions, or under high exposure, if the camera features image stabilization, the lens sharpness and transparency, and if it can capture colour tones and contrast ratios effectively. Using Sapphire Glass would be nice as it is very transparent and resistant to scratch.

The snaps below were taken by Michael A. Prospero for his review on laptopmag. You find the original high-res pictures on his page.

Scarves

Flowers Low Light, no flash

Anti-Cancer Smartphone

Some rumors say that the Nexus 6 will feature health monitor, and I think that is definitely a good direction to take. I suggest including a radiation-absorbing chip like the Bodywell chip built using the MobileTek technology.

Research is still going on whether radiations from cell phones could cause cancer but if this chip was integrated into the phone, it would be a new feature that would be very welcomed by smartphone users concerned by the possibility of fatigue, lack of sleep or development of cancer caused by exposure to radiation.

Security and Fingerprint Scanner

Security-wise, a fingerprint scanner like the one in the iPhone 5s is very much in demand. Some rumors say Google has already placed its order for Fingerprint ID scanners very much like the one in the iPhone 5s from a Chinese manufacturer. It would be very nice for the Nexus 6 to receive that. It can be annoying to enter a passcode or draw a pattern to unlock everytime.
Using a fingerprint scanner to unlock the screen would safest, fastest and most convenient...

...right?

Android L and Android Wear

There is a reason not to expect the Nexus 6 to come with a fingerprint scanner. It is the Android L Personal Unlocking. It is like a geofence, you can designate your home as a secure location and while you’re at home your phone will not ask you for a passcode, pattern or fingerprint to unlock because it knows you’re at home by GPS. You can also add more secure locations.


It will also be possible to not need to enter your passcode while your device is with you if you have an Android Wearable. While your phone is connected to your trusted Bluetooth device, it will not ask for a passcode. If you walk out of the Bluetooth range with your wearable whoever picks up your phone will need to enter a passcode.

Fingerprint scanning to unlock a device would be useless with Android Wear and Google will use this to try bring down iPhone and Samsung Galaxy S5. I will talk about Google's expected manoeuvre further in this article.

Android Wear Smartwatches prices

There are currently two smartwatches that were presented at the Google I/O this year and that are available for purchase in the Google Play Store in the US: the LG G Watch, priced at $229 and the Samsung Gear Live at $199. The third one that was presented but is not released yet is the Moto 360 for which we do not know the price yet.

LG G Watch (Left), Moto 360 (Middle), Samsung Gear Live (Right)

Android Wear at Google I/O

Attendees at the Google I/O this year got two of these smartwatches as gifts. They were able to choose one of the LG G Watch and the Samsung Gear Live, and will also receive the Moto 360 when it becomes available. Definitely something to be jealous about!

If we missed the event we can’t be blamed that we expect that there will be an Android Wear smartwatch included with the Nexus 6. Would be nice, especially since Android L security features Android Wear. However, it seems unlikely if one gives another look at the price tag of these smartwatches. It would be almost impossible to stay in the $400 range for the Nexus 6 if Google wants to add one of these jewels in the box. Most probably Google will consider either Android Wear or a Fingerprint scanner with your Nexus 6. I am keeping my fingers crossed for the Android Wear not simply because I love innovation, but also because Google was promoting the Android Wear at the Google I/O.
Let's now talk about why Google should promote Android Wear.

Android Wear as Google's strikeback at Samsung and Apple

If Google wants to boost sales of Android wearables it would not include a Fingerprint Scanner in the Nexus 6. Additionally, adding an Android Wear device to the Nexus 6 package would be an incentive for people who love innovation and at the same time, putting Google's biggest competitors, Samsung and Apple's Fingerprint ID system to waste. It is unlikely people would want to buy an Android Wearable if they had a smartphone with Fingerprint Scanner, or a smartphone with Fingerprint Scanner if they had the security of an Android Wearable. No one wants to pay for something they won't use.

The Nexus Project

For Nexus, we do not want Google to let itself be too influenced by specs lovers. The most important investment is software and hardware quality, not a checklist of specs. Sure, processor and RAM need to be high-end to minimize lags and have a smoother experience, Snapdragon 801 and 2GB RAM are more than enough but today we have surpassed “high-notch” capabilities in terms of hardware: getting the Snapdragon 805 instead of the Snapdragon 801 will not bring much difference because of other limiting factors like OS, Apps coding, power input, screen size and other hardware. Today’s high-end processors are meant for high-end tasking like video editing, apps development, or digital designing. I would not use a mobile phone for either of these simply because I will need a large screen, so I will move to my PC or Mac for those high-end tasks. Might as well get a PC if I were to spend $600 for a phone, even if it's a smart one. Many smartphone users, however, don’t understand this, and therefore manufacturers are forced to build useless “high-end” phones in order to make sales.

The Nexus series, however, is not the kind of phone line that was out for the sole purpose of making money. The Nexus was created to showcase Google's view of smartphones more than for the purpose of making money. The Nexus is meant to be an emblem of ultimate user experience, not simply ultimate specs. Why would Google let itself be least concerned about sales? Well because it's Google, and Google can do that.

What do you think of the new features? Should Google invest in them? Let me know in the comments below!